"Link!" Zelda called from Relena's house. Several months had passed since her capture, and we had both become decently comfortable with each other.
"Coming, Zel!" I answered. I ran to find Zelda, except she was nowhere in my sight. "Uh, Zel? Where are you?"
"I'm right here, Link," Zelda responded, and my heart stopped beating in my chest. She was literally sitting on top of the roof!
"Zelda! What in the Gerudo Valley are you doing?!" I exclaimed, readying myself to catch her if I had to.
Zelda's silvery laugh echoed through the Fortress. "Silly! I'm sitting on the roof!" she laughed again as though she didn't have a care in the world.
"I know – This may sound like a stupid question," I began sarcastically, "But, why?"
"C'mon, Link. I just helped Relena clean her house, and she said that I should climb on the roof to enjoy the view – And I would be enjoying the view – If there weren't all these ridiculously huge walls surrounding the place," she answered. "Hey, Link – You should join me!" she motioned for me to climb up as well.
I sighed. She could make me do almost anything. "OK, Zelda. I'm coming up." I began to use the rocks on the side of the house as footholds to help me scale the wall. This was crazy but surprisingly fun. I would have to talk to Relena about her bad influence on Zelda, though. I couldn't have Zelda doing this without me there to catch her. She could hurt herself!
Wow – Now I just sound like a sap… That is sad. I made it to the top of the flat-topped house and sat down next to Zelda on the roof. Our feet dangled over the edge of the roof carelessly, and we both laughed childishly. This was actually really fun.
Sadly, Zelda had been right. The Fortress walls completely blocked out all the view of the Desert. I craned my neck in an attempt to peek over the tall walls and failed horribly.
"See?" Zelda asked pointedly. She entwined her hand in mine and smiled, not looking at me.
"Zel – Do you want to see the Desert?" I questioned.
"I do; I think the Desert is so beautiful. There's so much sand everywhere, and I think that's so nice. We don't have sand at Castle Town. To be able to run my hand through warm sand is just so – so pleasant. I never would have thought that sand could be so enjoyable," Zelda concluded. A soft Desert breeze blew through, playing with her blonde curls.
"I can take you to see the Desert," I suggested, knowing the perfect place.
Zelda's eyes lit up in excitement like a child on Christmas Day. "Really?"
"Yeah – Let's go," I responded. "Stay here," I commanded, beginning to make my way down the side of the house once more. I then stood slightly below where Zelda was seated on the roof. "Jump."
"Are you sure?" Zelda questioned uncertainly.
"Positive; just jump," I reassured her. I held my arms open, and Zelda jumped. I caught her easily, and she just laughed her beautiful laugh once more.
"Leaving so soon, Zelda?" Relena asked, appearing at the doorway to her house. Twin scimitars were strapped to her back, and she stood with her hands on her hips, watching us, a smile spreading across her face.
"Yup; Link's taking me to see the Desert from – somewhere," Zelda answered, still resting in my arms.
"Oh, OK. Thanks so much for help in cleaning the house; it was a wreck before you came along. It's just too much for me to handle on my own, especially because I don't have the time, and I'm still not married," Relena responded.
Zelda smiled. "Aw, don't worry, Rey. The right guy will come along soon enough, and you'll have a lovely family."
"I hope so, Zel," Relena agreed. "Oh – And, Link," she began, turning to face me. "There have been some rumors that Ren is looking for you. I'm not completely sure, but you should watch your back."
"OK – Thanks for the head's up, Relena," I answered gratefully. Hopefully those rumors weren't true because I was not ready to deal with Ren right now. Why couldn't I just have a nice, normal, peaceful day for once?
"No problem, Link. I'm going on duty now, so I won't be back until later; my shift ends at 9. I'm sure I'll just enjoy six hours of doing nothing, standing there prepared to take out enemies we don't have. Anyways, you guys have a great day, OK?" Relena smiled.
"Thanks, Rey; we will," Zelda practically beamed. Along with Nabs, Relena had become a good friend of hers.
"Bye, you guys," Relena waved.
"Bye, Rey!" Zelda waved back radiantly.
"See you, Rey!" I shifted Zelda in my arms. "You OK, Zel?" I asked as I carried her away from Relena.
"I'm fine," she answered, curling up closer against my chest. I then remembered that she was the Princess of Hyrule, but I doubted she was thinking about her rank at this point.
I brought her near a Fortress wall via my brute strength, and she looked at me questioningly. I smiled at her confusion. "C'mon," I beckoned her before she had time to speak. She followed me tentatively as we walked toward the huge wall.
"Why are we here, Link?" she questioned curiously.
"You'll see," I answered her inquiry teasingly, and she rolled her eyes, annoyed at my dodging, though I knew she would love the surprise.
"Follow me," I commanded, and she obeyed without question. I suppose we had grown closer than I had realized within the past few months. She had begun taking my lead in certain matters, while I confided in her my fears, several of them ones that I hadn't even told Nabs.
She had brought joy to my life, and I was slowly uncovering more of the real Zelda – the one underneath that caged bird façade. She was so mysterious about her past, only disclosing certain pieces to the puzzle of her past life to me at certain times. It confused me, but what confused me even more was the fact that I actually wanted to know her past.
I had never felt this way before, and it scared me slightly. I led her to a staircase within the wall and began to climb the stairs. She trailed behind me, and we made our way to the top of the stairs. We had made it – And we were rewarded with a gorgeous view of the Desert as we stood on the top of the Fortress walls.
Not to sound girly or anything, but it really was a sight to behold. And watching Zelda look at this view was a whole other sight in itself. Her pink lips parted slightly in complete and total awe; her small frame leaned against the wall "railing," while still maintaining her perfect posture. Her blonde hair blew to the north slightly, and her blue eyes flickered with excitement.
I had slowly but surely learned how to interpret her mood based solely on her eyes. Of course, her body language also played a large role, but her eyes were always a dead giveaway as to how she was feeling.
"Like it?" I asked, knowing full well that she did like it.
"Absolutely!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
I chuckled a bit and continued to watch her with amusement.
Her parted lips curved into a smile, and she let out a silvery laugh. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed quickly.
"I'm glad you like it," I laughed in return. Watching her enjoy the Desert view made the whole sand thing interesting again. She made the sand interesting – I wasn't sure how she could do that, but she did. I still thought of her as the ocean, and I actually really wanted to go see the ocean one day with her by my side.
I was almost positive that she had already seen the ocean or the Great Sea or even Lake Hylia, and I was slightly jealous of her, while still remaining happy for her vast range of experiences. I wanted to travel the world, not stay stuck here in the Desert, where there is pretty much nothing except, well, sand – lots of sand.
"Why can't that be me?" I sighed softly to myself, not realizing I had said it aloud. I hoped that Zelda hadn't heard, but, just my luck, her sharp Hylian ears caught every word I had said.
"Why can't what be you?" she questioned, her blue eyes flickering toward my own, showing care and concern.
I closed my mouth, upset with myself for letting that slip.
"Link – Come on; spill it. I know you, Link. You can't hide from me; I'll find out eventually," she joked, a sad smile spreading across her face.
I sighed once more, knowing that what she said was true. "I just wish that I had the chance to travel more – like you."
"You want to be like me?" Zelda asked, her azure eyes widening in surprise.
"Yeah," I nodded my head sheepishly. "I mean, you've probably traveled to everywhere in Hyrule, and all I've ever seen in my life is sand. I just wish that I had the chance to travel, see the world, and get away from all this sand."
"Why?" Zelda questioned, and I gazed at her wonderingly. "I think the sand is so beautiful! It's so picturesque and peaceful here. I feel so safe and secure here in the Desert, and I love it. You have a lovely home here, Link, and the Desert is so wonderful. If I ever do leave here to go back to the Castle, I would miss the sand terribly."
My heart felt punctured when she said the word "Castle," yet it flipped when she said she would miss the sand – Did that mean she would miss me? "I would miss you terribly, Zelda," I stated, ignoring my pride and fear of humiliation. "You've become a good friend."
Zelda flushed slightly under my gaze. "Link – That's so sweet. I would miss you as well. I would miss everyone, but especially you. You've been extremely kind to me during my stay here at the Fortress, even though I'm technically a hostage. I appreciate that."
"It's no problem, honestly, Zelda," I responded, turning to face the Desert scene before us once more. "I don't care in the least bit what my father has to say about my time spent with you, nor do I regret it."
Zelda smiled and turned to gaze over the Fortress wall at the ground below near Relena's house. Her smile then disappeared, and her blissful expression was then replaced by one of fear.
"What's wrong, Zelda?" I questioned, concerned.
"Ren," was all she stated, and that was all I needed.
"Stay up here," I commanded before racing down the stairs that ran from the top of the wall to the Fortress interior. I prepared myself for a confrontation, which was exactly what I got.
"Hello, Link," Ren hissed, glaring at me openly.
"What do you want, Ren?" I questioned, my own eyes narrowing into slits, like when Zelda was doing archery. My hands balled into fists, and I took a strong stance.
Ren scoffed. "You know what I want."
I racked my brain, coming up with nothing. "Um – No, I don't."
"I want the girl," Ren answered.
A girl? What was he talking about? Did he mean Zelda? "Which girl, Ren?" I snapped, losing my patience. "You do know that the majority of the population here at the Fortress is girls – or women. You have to be more specific."
"Well, lucky you. I'm making things simple and easy. I just happen to want the only Hylian girl living here at the Fortress right now," Ren smirked, knowing that he was making me mad.
I felt a rage like I had never felt before. Who did he think he was? Oh, yeah – The "true and rightful" Prince of the Gerudo. Well, sorry, buddy, but that's my title right now, and I was prepared to protect Zelda with my life. "Shut up, Ren," I commanded, trying to control my very easily set off temper.
"Yikes – Touchy subject, eh, Link?" Ren taunted, the smirk ever present on his face.
I continued to glare at him openly, not caring about whether others saw me. "Ren – You're trying my patience. Just leave. You won't have her."
"Oh, really?" Ren raised a brow teasingly. "Are you sure about that, Link? Remember who is the bigger and stronger one here. I can easily take you out right now," he boasted.
I spoke through clenched teeth, "Ren – You can hurt me, but you will not touch her!"
Ren simply laughed out loud, throwing his head back as though I had just told him the funniest joke in the Desert. "Ah, Link – As I've told you before, I always get whatever I want."
"Then why aren't you heir to the throne?" I asked tauntingly, not thinking before I spoke. Whoops – Bad idea – Very bad idea…
Ren swung a punch at me, and I ducked, barely missing the swing. Considering the fact that I was tall, as was Ren, this was a remarkable feat. I glanced up once at the Fortress wall top where Zelda was standing, watching the fight fearfully. No doubt she had had to watch this sort of thing when her brother was defending her against her other so called family members.
Ren swung again, but this time I caught his fist midair. "Ren! What are we doing?!" I exclaimed, blocking and dodging Ren's barrage of attacks.
"I will fight for Zelda!" he responded, still persistently attacking me. His amber eyes were glazed over with anger, fury, and envy, and I was momentarily caught off-guard. I had never seen Ren this mad.
"Ren – We shouldn't be doing this; please, let's stop," I remained on the defensive, trying not to hurt him because I didn't want to hurt him – It wasn't my place.
Then, Ren finally met his mark – my face. He swung with such impact that my lip began bleeding. I wiped the blood from my face, continuing to avoid Ren's attacks. Ren looked at me with clear hate, and I was shocked. I had never felt someone's hate for me before, and this too caught me off-guard.
"You took my place!" Ren exclaimed. "You stole everything I ever wanted in life!"
"Ren!" I dodged another punch, still trying to remain on the defensive rather than offensive.
"OK! That's enough!" I heard a strong feminine voice exclaim, and I felt myself being torn away from Ren and his attacks.
"Are you alright?" a softer female voice asked, and I gazed into Zelda's blue eyes.
"Yeah," I answered, attempting to wipe the blood from my swollen lip. Ren was in Aziz's tough grip, and Nabs was yelling at him, berating him without fear or shame. Of course, good 'ole sis came to the rescue.
"Here," Zelda handed me an ice pack. "Press this to where it's bleeding. It should help to alleviate some of the pain while helping to apply some pressure to help stop the bleeding."
"Thanks," I responded gratefully, doing as she said. It helped almost immediately, for which I was grateful.
"No – Thank you," she answered with a sad smile. "That was very brave of you to do that for me. I'm so grateful."
I tried to smile back, despite the obvious pain I was feeling. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"You're so sweet!" Zelda gave me a small hug before we turned to watch the show.
"REN!" Nabs exclaimed. "How could you do that to Link?! You should know better! You could have seriously hurt him!" she waved her hands in the air animatedly, and I craned my neck, trying to see if there was any sort of – Oh, I don't know – diamond – on her left hand.
Ren glared back at Nabooru blatantly, while struggling to escape Aziz's grip. "I didn't do anything!" he protested. "Let me go!"
"You call giving Link a bloody lip 'not doing anything'?!" Nabs yelled, going off into another loudly given lecture. "You're so thoughtless and inconsiderate of others! And you were threatening to take Zelda?! You cruel jerk! You have no feelings!"
With that last exclamation, Ren looked as though he had been visibly slapped in the face. "You don't know anything about me! Now let me go!" he attempted to wrench free from Aziz, and Aziz let him. He ran away from us, heading to who knows where.
Nabs was fuming and didn't hide it. "I promise I will go after that thoughtless jerk the next time he hurts someone and take him straight to Father!" she exclaimed. "He deserves punishment!"
Aziz, on the other hand, was cool and collected, even amidst the craziness that had just gone on. He placed an arm around Nabooru as though it was the most normal thing in the world and comforted her. "It's OK, Nabs."
Zelda's eyes widened, and I chuckled. "You did it, Aziz?" I asked, proud of him.
Aziz nodded, almost sheepishly, yet smiled. "She's made me the happiest man in the world," he stated.
"OK… Just wait until she starts blowing up on you. She's quite the hothead, let me tell you," I grinned as Zelda's eyes lit up in realization.
Nabooru was not pleased. "LINK!" she exclaimed.
I just laughed again. "See what I mean?"
"So you two are getting married?" Zelda asked excitedly.
Aziz nodded. "We plan to. Hopefully, Lord Ganondorf will not object."
"Well, if he does, we'll just run away. He's not even my real dad anyways," Nabs scoffed. She never really liked Ganondorf, as you can see. And you could tell that she was in love with Aziz. Even the way she looked at him showed her love for him.
I was happy for her, considering the fact that I had doubted she would ever find a man that would tolerate her random outbursts and loud personality, though I would never say that out loud… Nabs would kill me!
"You guys are perfect together!" Zelda smiled brightly, her silvery laugh echoing throughout the Fortress.
"I'd like to think so," Aziz laughed.
I had never seen Aziz so – loose – before, and, if this was something his relationship with Nabs was going to bring, then I liked it already. "Took you long enough; it's been about a month since we had that 'brotherly' discussion," I laughed.
"What?" Nabs questioned, eyeing both me and Aziz suspiciously in turn.
Aziz scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Nothing, Nabs."
Nabs began to stare him down. "Aziz?"
"It's really nothing, Nabs," I chuckled. "Don't worry about it."
"Did you scare him into asking me to marry him?!" Nabs yelled, waving her arms madly about.
I rolled my eyes, patting her back gently. "No, I didn't, Nabs. Calm down, Nabbie."
Nabs directed her glare at me, unamused, and smacked my arm – And she hits hard – for a girl – and maybe a few guys... "Don't call me that."
"Sorry – Nabbie," I grinned widely, and Zelda giggled.
Nabs looked at me, horrified. "LINK!"
Hey peeps! Just FYI, this story/book is based off two things: the 2015 Zelink Week prompt, Scars, as well as Lindsey Stirling's "Song of the Caged Bird." Thanks to those that favorite, followed, and reviewed so far! You guys are the best, and I love you all. If you like what I'm doing, please subscribe (favorite and follow)!
Also, I do have a Wattpad exclusive Zelda book called Big Break up as well, so, if you have Wattpad, go check it out. :D Once I finish this book, I'll be able to post Big Break here on FF, but for now, it'll stay only on Wattpad because of slow updates while I'm still writing Scars of a Caged Bird… OK, that's it – And, if you feel so inclined, please review; it makes me feel more motivated to write. ;) Anyways, see you Tuesday (or Wednesday)! ;D
Total Word Count (excluding Author's Notes):
3,209